A challenging problem that is facing the United States (and other countries) is the integration of power sources that produce varying amounts of power into the existing (and aging) Electric Power Grid (EPG) infrastructures. Examples of power sources that produce varying amounts of power include wind turbines, solar power systems, hydropower systems, geothermal power systems, and other suitable power sources. For instance, power generated by a wind turbine is directly related to rotational speed of the wind turbine, which is based upon wind speeds. As wind speeds vary over time, the rotational speed of the wind turbine will also vary, and thus the power generated by the wind turbine will likewise vary over time. Similarly, solar power systems generate power as a function of an amount of solar radiation received at a collection of solar panels. As the Sun moves across the sky, the solar radiation received at the collection of solar panels will change, and therefore power output by the solar panels will alter. Moreover, a cloud moving in front of the Sun can cause an amount of power generated by a solar power system to decrease. Similarly, hydropower systems can be affected by position of the moon, an amount of water passing through turbines, etc.
The EPG infrastructures include transformers that are configured to step up and/or step down voltages during transmission of electrical power over transmission lines. Various power electronics are also configured to monitor faults in the electronic grid and isolate problems so that a remainder of the electronic grid is not negatively affected by an isolated fault. Generally, the EPG infrastructures are designed to transform and transmit power at certain voltage levels and frequency, and power provided that differs from the voltage levels and frequency can damage power electronics in the EPG. Accordingly, systems that cause power generated from variable power sources to conform to specifications of the EPG must be implemented to facilitate integration of variable power sources with the EPG.
An exemplary system that has been utilized in connection with causing power generated by variable power sources to conform to EPG specifications is a Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC). A UPFC may include a plurality of different types of power electronics devices. In general, the UPFC includes sensors, actuators, and power storage devices (such as batteries, capacitors, or the like). If magnitude of power provided from a variable power source is too low, the UPFC pulls power from storage to cause the power to be at a desired level. Alternatively, if magnitude of power provided from the variable power source is higher than desired, the UPFC causes excess power to be retained in the power storage devices. The end result is that power generated by a variable power source can be provided to an EPG.
Currently, when designing a UPFC, available power electronics hardware is assembled, and the UPFC is designed to control power flow from a variable power source to the EPG using the assembled hardware. This leads to less than optimal utilization of power generated by variable power generation systems.